Cairn Gorm

3 miles (5.5 km)

This walk follows the signed 'Windy Ridge Path' from the Cairngorm Ski Centre car park to the summit of the mountain. At 1245 metres (4084 ft) Cairn Gorm is the sixth highest mountain in the United Kingdom. The route passes the Ptarmigan Restaurant, the highest restaurant in the UK. It is located at the Ptarmigan Train Station of the CairnGorm Mountain railway. It's just over half way from the summit so it's a great place to stop for refreshments and enjoy wonderful views of Loch Morlich, the Rothiemurchus Forest, Ben Nevis and Ben Hope. You continue to the summit where you will find a cairn and a weather station building. The views of the surrounding area are truly wonderful. You descend via the same path with the option of catching the funicular railway back to the base at Ptarmigan. The Ben Macdui and Coire an t-Sneachda walks start from the same car park so if you'd like to continue your walking in the area then these are good options.